Pentagon recommending exemptions to immigration ban for Iraqis working with U.S. forces

The Pentagon is compiling a list of Iraqis who have aided the U.S. military to determine if they should be exempted from President Donald Trump’s controversial 90-day ban on immigration from seven Middle East nations, the Pentagon said Monday.

The White House has asked the Pentagon to compile a list of recommended Iraqis to be exempted from the 90-day travel ban, which could include translators, drivers, linguists and others who have taken “tangible actions” supporting U.S. forces, according to spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis.

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“We have been provided the opportunity by the White House to submit names,” Davis said. “We are ensuring that those who have demonstrated their commitment tangibly to fight alongside us and support us, that those names are known for whatever process there is going forward.”

The efforts to exempt Iraqis working for the military from the ban comes after outrage from many veterans over Iraqi translators detained at U.S. airports over the weekend. They also highlight yet another complication from a policy that appears to have been issued with little to no input from federal agencies.

Davis declined to say whether Defense Secretary James Mattis and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joe Dunford had the opportunity to view the language, or if they expressed any specific concerns about the ban, before Trump signed the executive order at the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes honoring Medal of Honor recipients.

“When he provides advice and counsel, the nature of that is private,” Davis said.

The Pentagon spokesman also declined to say whether Mattis was concerned about the impact the order could have on the U.S. campaign in Iraq, where U.S. troops are working closely alongside Iraqi forces to retake Mosul from the Islamic State. The Pentagon is assessing other possible impacts, including from a retaliatory ban on Americans approved by the Iraqi Parliament over the weekend in retaliation.

The White House said the ban is intended to protect the country from terrorism but lawmakers and national security experts have argued it could have the opposite effect because it will be used as a recruiting tool by terrorist groups like ISIL.

“Ultimately, we fear this executive order will become a self-inflicted wound in the fight against terrorism,” Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said in a statement Sunday. “This executive order sends a signal, intended or not, that America does not want Muslims coming into our country. That is why we fear this executive order may do more to help terrorist recruitment than improve our security.”

Davis said the Pentagon did not yet have an estimate of how many Iraqis would be included on the list, nor how long it would take for the Pentagon to compile it.

The Department of Homeland Security will ultimately decide which, if any, Iraqis should be exempted.

McCain and Graham expressed particular concern about Iraqi fighter pilots being trained in Arizona. The Pentagon is looking at that specific issue, Davis said.

There are also unanswered questions over what the executive order means for green card holders who are serving in the U.S. military.

Davis said there are about 5,000 non-U.S. citizens who enlisted annually, and an average of 18,700 on active duty. It’s not yet clear how many of green card holders are from the seven countries affected — Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.